Kart racing is a sport involving small, open racing cars that seat one person. Children and many adults compete in kart racing. The cars are sometimes called go-karts.
There are three main types of kart racing events: sprint, road, and speedway. Sprint events are raced on short road courses 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometer) or less in length. One sprint race usually consists of three heats of 10 laps each. Most road races are one hour long and held on automobile racing tracks. Speedway events are raced on dirt oval tracks 1/5 mile (0.3 kilometer) long. They often consist of two 10-lap heats and a 20-lap feature race.
Some local kart races feature 8-year-old children competing against one another. Boys and girls can enter some national races at the age of 8. However, most national events require the contestants to be at least 16. Kart racing originated in the United States in 1956.
